Vertu Motors

Bristol Street Motors is to be the sponsor of Channel 4’s coverage of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Formula E and Channel 4 today announced the broadcaster will become the UK’s exclusive free-to-air TV home of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in a multi-year broadcast agreement beginning this season.

Sponsored by Bristol Street Motors, Channel 4’s race coverage will be presented by the established Formula E team of hosts Vernon Kay and Nicki Shields, expert analyst Dario Franchitti and commentator Jack Nicholls with local pundits joining around the world. It will be produced by FETV, a co-venture between motorsport production specialists Aurora and North One.

UK-based fans of the only all-electric motorsport World Championship will have the opportunity to see more live races in Season 8 than in any previous season.

Every race in the Championship’s biggest-ever 16-race calendar will be aired live on Channel 4 and All4, or on Channel 4 Sport’s well-established channel on YouTube.*

Race highlights will be broadcast on Channel 4 and All4 which will serve as the catch-up destination for all the action from the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

In addition, the new qualifying format featuring all 22 drivers in head-to-head knockout Duels competing for pole position will be available live before every E-Prix on the Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel.

Season 8 begins with a double-header around the walls of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on 28 and 29 January. Racing continues through Season 8 in the centre of iconic world cities including Rome, Monaco, Berlin, London and New York and for the first time, Jakarta, Vancouver and Seoul. Most races in Asia and Europe will air live on Channel 4 and All4.

Round 1 will air live from Diriyah on the Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel from 16:30pm GMT on Friday, 28 January. Channel 4 and All4 will broadcast live coverage of Round 2 on Saturday, 29 January from 16:30pm GMT.

Robert Forrester, Chief Executive of Bristol Street Motors, said: “Our partnership with Channel 4 has been amazing for us, so we are delighted to be sponsoring their Formula E coverage.

“It is fantastic that all-electric motorsport is gaining a higher profile, especially as we move towards more significant sales of Electric Vehicles.”

By the conclusion Season 7 (2020/21), the live television audience made up the majority of Formula E’s global TV viewership (62%) for the first time in the Championship’s history. The cumulative audience increased to 316m – a 32% year-on-year growth – driven by new distribution agreements with free-to-air (FTA) channels in key markets, which also lifted Season 7’s live audience above pre-pandemic levels.

This latest deal follows on from Channel 4’s announcement that it will ten live Super League matches each season for the next two years thanks to a partnership with Sky. It is the first time in the competition’s 26-year history that it will be shown on free to air terrestrial television.

Channel 4 has made a wide a range of high-profile sports and events available free to air to UK audiences over the past 12 months. These have included: live coverage of Emma Raducanu’s stunning US Open victory; live British Lions rugby; live Test match cricket coverage of England’s tour in India; live coverage of the Ireland rugby union autumn internationals; and live in-depth coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games which attracted 20 million viewers.

ENDS

NEWS RELEASE: ISSUED ON BEHALF OF VERTU MOTORS

CONTACT: Caroline Walker on 01325 363436

Notes to Editors

Vertu Motors plc is the fifth largest automotive retailer in the UK with a network of 156 sales outlets across the UK. Its dealerships operate predominantly under the Bristol Street Motors, Vertu Motors and Macklin Motors brand names.

Vertu Motors plc was established in November 2006 with the strategy to consolidate the UK motor retail sector. It is intended that the Group will continue to acquire motor retail operations to grow a scaled dealership group. The Group’s acquisition strategy is supplemented by a focused organic growth strategy to drive operational efficiencies through its national dealership network. The Group currently operates 152 franchised sales outlets and 4 non-franchised sales operations from 120 locations across the UK.

Vertu’s Mission Statement is to “deliver an outstanding customer motoring experience through honesty and trust”.

Vertu Motors Group websites – investors.vertumotors.com / www.vertucareers.com
Vertu brand websites – www.vertumotors.com / www.bristolstreet.co.uk / www.macklinmotors.co.uk / www.vertumotorcycles.com / www.vansdirect.co.uk / www.thetaxicentre.com / www.powerbulbs.com

For Channel 4 Press media enquiries, please contact-Tim English - TEnglish@Channel4.co.uk

For Formula E media enquiries, please contact -media@fiaformulae.com

* live broadcast schedule is provisional and subject to change.

About Formula E and the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship

As the world’s only all-electric FIA World Championship and the only sport certified net zero carbon since inception, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship brings dramatic racing to the heart of some of the world’s most iconic cities providing an elite motorsport platform for the world’s leading automotive manufacturers to accelerate electric vehicle innovation.

The Formula E network of teams, manufacturers, partners, broadcasters, and host cities are united by a passion for the sport and belief in its potential to accelerate sustainable human progress and create a better future for people and planet.

www.FIAFormulaE.com

About ABB

ABB (ABBN: SIX SwissEx) is a leading global technology company thatenergises thetransformation of society and industry to achievea more productive, sustainable future. By connecting softwareto itselectrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes theboundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history ofexcellence stretching back morethan 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talentedemployees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

About Channel 4 Sport’s social media channels

Channel 4 Sport on YouTube is the well-established home to the broadcaster’s wide range of sport including the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics, Rugby Super League, W Series, British & Irish Lions, international cricket and rugby union, Heineken Champions Cup, Formula One as well as documentaries and digital originals. In addition Channel 4 Sport is also available on Facebook and Twitter. Set up originally for horse racing in 2012, the channel became Channel 4 Sport YouTube four years ago.